Publication Number: 09-08-008 (Rev. 1/21) 1

Focus on Oil Transfer Info for Marinas

Spill Prevention, Preparedness, & Response Program February 2009

WHY IT MATTERS As little as a quart of spilled oil, diesel or gasoline can contaminate acres of water and prove deadly to marine life. Juvenile fish, shellfish larvae and other fragile and essential sea life are extremely sensitive to even small amounts of oil and other petroleum products. Small spills can permanently harm our waters and degrade the enjoyment and productivity of recreational and commercial boating. Contact information: Jason Reichert (360) 407-7390 jare461@ecy.wa.gov Special accommodations: If you need this publication in an alternate format, call the Spills Program at 360-407-7455. Persons with hearing loss, call 711 for Washington Relay Service. Persons with a speech disability, call 877-833-6341.

Marinas and the Oil Transfer Rules With more than 2,000 commercial vessels and 200,000 recreational boats1 fueling at marinas on Washington rivers, lakes and coastal communities, fuel spills are always a danger. Even small spills are a problem because their cumulative impacts are significant. Our unique environment deserves protection and that is why in 2004 the Washington State Legislature set an ambitious goal of “Zero Oil Spills to Water.” In our experience, leaks, drips and spills occur frequently during small vessel fueling. The Washington Department of Ecology’s oil transfer rules are designed to help prevent spills from facilities transferring oil over water. Under these rules, we expect fewer spills and a better response capability; increasing the protection of our natural resources from the environmental hazards of oil spills. You can find the oil transfer rules for facilities in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) chapter 173-180. We prepared this guidance to help marinas that are Class 42 facilities comply with the oil transfer rule, but this information can also help recreational marinas3 keep their waters clean and free of oil spills and other accidents. Items marked with a check4 in the lists below are

regulatory requirements for marinas that are Class 4 facilities.

Preparing your fueling facility for transferring oil Purchase all required operations and response equipment

for use at your location. Store equipment so it is easy for employees and vessel operators to access. You must provide the capability of cleaning up a 25 gallon spill by having at least 200 feet of boom; oil sorbent materials for use in water; non-sparking hand scoops, shovels, and buckets; containers for recovered oil; and personal protective equipment (PPE).

mailto:jare461@ecy.wa.gov

Publication Number: 09-08-008 (Rev. 1/21) 2

Spill Prevention, Preparedness, & Response Program

February 2009

Post oil spill notification numbers in a

prominent location. You must notify the: National Response Center (USCG)

800-424-8802 Washington Division of Emergency

Management 800-OILS911 Fuel pump owner/operator, and if

needed, an oil spill response contractor.

More information is available at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/other/reportaspill.htm

Prepare and submit semi-annual reports to Ecology with the volume of oil you transferred. You can access the form via this link: https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/SummaryPages/ECY070242.html

Reports for January 1 - June 30 are due on July 15.

Reports for July 1 – December 30 are due on January 15. • Identify facility-specific tasks and

procedures for your facility. Train your employees on these tasks and procedures.

• Provide material data safety sheets (MSDS), flashlights, radios, etc., as needed for your location. Provide a pole-arm or gaff to help move or retrieve sorbent pads in water.

• Prepare a piping and electrical diagram of the dock fuel system and make it available to your employees. Clearly mark each connection, valve, and electrical shutoff. Provide a map to show locations of all the system parts.

• Identify all possible sources of ignition. Think outside the box - consider what customers and visitors might do.

• Determine how the spill response equipment would safely be deployed for your transfer location.

• Determine what you will do with used sorbents and soiled equipment. Used sorbents cannot be thrown in the trash. A spill response contractor can help you come up with a plan for used sorbents.

Equipment List all of the oil transfer equipment

used at your marina, how it works and is maintained.

Test the equipment regularly. Use the manufacturer’s recommendations, the procedures identified in the Code of Federal Regulations 33 CFR 156.170, or consult a fuel service company.

Keep equipment maintenance records up-to-date and in a location where they can be used by employees and available for Ecology to review.

Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for normal everyday use as well as any special PPE needed for spill response.

• An operations manual is a good way to make the information available for training and for reference by employees. Include the diagram and map of the fuel system, emergency shut-offs, fire-fighting equipment and response equipment.

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/other/reportaspill.htmhttp://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/other/reportaspill.htmhttps://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/SummaryPages/ECY070242.htmlhttps://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/SummaryPages/ECY070242.html

Publication Number: 09-08-008 (Rev. 1/21) 3 Please reuse and recycle

Spill Prevention, Preparedness, & Response Program

February 2009

• Mark the locations of emergency shut-off devices. List their locations and display the list in a highly visible spot.

Training for your employees Provide annual training on safe oil

handling practices and spill response to all employees. Training must also occur within 90 days of hiring. Training topics must include: All procedures for safe operation,

testing, maintenance and repair of the fuel transfer and storage equipment, including emergency shut-down in case of a spill.

How to instruct vessel owners on their part in spill prevention.

The dangers of petroleum products and how to protect yourself, your customers and the environment.

Safe practices for handling the fuels at your location.

How to respond to at least a 25-gallon spill OR how to quickly contact an oil spill response contractor.

Safe and effective use and handling of response and recovery equipment. How to properly report oil spills to the National Response Center (U.S.C.G.) at 1-800-424-8802 and the Washington Division of Emergency Management at 1-800-OILS911 (and the local fire department if there is a danger of fire or explosion).

Keep records of all oil handling and spill response training. These records must be maintained and made available to Ecology upon request.

Trained personnel are required to have a wallet-sized card listing oil spill notification telephone numbers.

Things to do before you transfer oil Check the hose and pipe condition both

at the pump and from the storage tank. Don’t use frayed or damaged hoses or jury-rigged equipment.

Check the general condition of the oil transfer equipment.

• Look for leaks and/or sheens on the water.

• Check the general condition of dock structures and vessels nearby to determine stability.

• Secure the vessel to the dock properly.

Items your employee should discuss with the vessel owner before transferring oil • Our fuel system can deliver

approximately “X” number of gallons per minute. (Every fuel dock is different and could deliver much higher rates creating a risk of overfill.)

• Can your vessel take fuel at this rate, or should the rate be slower?

• Where is your vessel’s fuel vents located? Do you have vent bags or drip cups to catch fuel that may escape the vents?

Publication Number: 09-08-008 (Rev. 1/21) 4 Please reuse and recycle

Spill Prevention, Preparedness, & Response Program

February 2009 • What is the total fuel capacity of your

vessel?

• How much fuel is in your vessel now?

• Does the vessel owner know why it’s important to slow the oil transfer when the tank is near full?

• How do you stop the flow of fuel?

• What requirements must you follow to fuel at this dock?

• Do you know why spills are bad and how to prevent a spill? State and federal laws prohibit discharging or spilling any amount of oil into water.

• What do you do if a spill occurs?

• Does the vessel owner know where the spill response equipment is located?

Preventing oil transfer spills • Do employees operate the fueling

equipment at your marina, or is it self-serve?

• Provide a checklist of actions a person must do when transferring oil at your location.

• Require the use of a fuel collar or absorbent pad wrapped around the nozzle to catch drips before they enter the water.

• Have the dock attendant or vessel owner hold the fuel nozzle at all times while fueling. Do not use automatic shut-off nozzles. Disable trigger locks (like automotive gas station nozzles have) because these create a higher risk of spilling. If self-serve, the vessel owner should NOT go below deck while fueling and should NOT take telephone calls.

• Remind your customers that when fuel spills it will go directly into the water.

• Even if your fuel dock is self-serve, a dock attendant should monitor all oil transfers.

• Don’t allow fuel transfers after dusk since it is more difficult to see and respond to spills in the dark.

If there is an oil spill Make notifications to the: National Response Center (USCG)

800-424-8802 Washington Division of Emergency

Management 800-OILS911 • Stop the oil transfer as quickly as

possible.

• Ensure there are no ignition sources and warn others not to smoke or use any fire or flame including heaters and stove tops.

• Identify the type of product spilled. Know the risks of the product spilled by checking the MSDS sheets for the fuel. Protect yourself and others from unnecessary risks. Always wear protective equipment like oil resistant gloves and glasses when performing oil spill cleanup. o If the spill is gasoline, ensure others

leave the area so they are not in danger. Do not try to contain or remove gasoline from water. Allow the spill to disperse. If there is a large spill of gasoline, consider calling the local fire department.

o For spills other than gasoline, begin deploying boom to contain the spill and sorbent pads to collect as much oil as possible.

Publication Number: 09-08-008 (Rev. 1/21) 5 Please reuse and recycle

Spill Prevention, Preparedness, & Response Program

February 2009

• Contact the owners/operators of the fuel

pumping facility.

• Call the oil spill response contractor posted on the dock if the spill is beyond the capability of the employee.

Additional safety concerns • When transferring oil, keep children off

the dock and away from the area.

• Everyone should wear a float vest while on the dock.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ NOTES 1 Definition of a recreational vessel: a vessel owned and operated only for pleasure with no monetary gain involved, and if leased, rented, or chartered to another for recreational use, isn’t used for monetary gain. Examples are house boats, ski boats, and other small craft on a rental or lease agreement. If a vessel does not meet the definition of a recreational vessel it is considered a non-recreational vessel. Some examples of non-recreational vessels are sight-seeing or tour boats, passenger vessels, chartered fishing boats, boats used for parasailing, tug boats, etc. This definition is based on the vessel’s use, and not on its size. 2 Definition of a Class 4 facility: The Class 4 category applies to marinas or other small fueling facilities transferring bulk oil to non-recreational vessels with a total oil capacity of less than 10,500 gallons. 3 Recreational marinas are marinas that serve recreational vessels only and are not subject to Chapter 173-180 WAC. 4 Checked items represent regulatory requirements for marinas that are Class 4 facilities.

Marinas and the Oil Transfer RulesPreparing your fueling facility for transferring oilEquipmentTraining for your employeesThings to do before you transfer oilItems your employee should discuss with the vessel owner before transferring oilPreventing oil transfer spillsIf there is an oil spillAdditional safety concerns